The show was almost over and Sofie still hadn't got back from her little detour. I had enjoyed the kiss she had given me and was hoping for some more of the same. She looked really beautiful and although we had really only known each other for a few hours I was really coming to like her. It was a long time since any woman had been able to make me feel like this.

I looked around but couldn't see her. I turned to her friend and said I was going to go and see if I could find her. She took look around as well and said she would help me look.

There were so many people in front of the stage it was difficult to get through them. I searched along the edge, but something told me she probably wouldn't be there in the crowd. I made my way towards the bar instead. Although there were still quite a lot of people there, it wasn't quite so crowded.

I couldn't see her. I began to wish she was a bit taller so that she would stand out above the crowd. I tried to remember what she was wearing, I was never good at noticing women's clothes. I thought she was in some sort of green top, but no-one seemed to be wearing green. I hoped that she wasn't feeling ill and that was the cause of her being away for so long.

I looked around the edge of the dance floor again. It was then I noticed a couple kissing deeply, locked in a passionate embrace. Both looked familiar to me, the man more so. The woman had her back to me so all I could really see was her hair. It was long with small plaits in it. Her top was green… it was Sofie!

The guy eased up on the embrace and lifted her face to him enabling him to look into her eyes. I looked at him and realised it was Orlando. What the hell was he doing with my girl? What was she doing with him, hadn't she just told me she didn't know him?

Looking to my right I could see that her friend, Berlinda was also taking in the scene. A glance at her told me that she was as shocked and surprised as I was. Turning back towards the couple, I could see Kate standing behind them, annoyance etched on her face.

That did it for me. I rushed over towards them. I took Sofie by the waist and pushed her away from Orlando. I was about to throw a punch at him for daring to kiss my girl, but the fucking lad was too quick. He reacted really fast, ducking my swing before I made contact and catching hold of my wrist.

His eyes bore into mine and we were locked together for a minute. We were so busy glaring at each other that we didn't notice that Sofie had run away.

There was an oppressive silence all around us. My anger began to fade slightly as I didn't want to make a scene there. Orlando must have sensed the main treat from me had disappeared, so he loosened his grip on my arm.

Looking around at the people waiting to see if a fight was going to break out between us made me realise I had to bite down my jealous reaction. I looked round at Berlinda. She was in the same spot, but was looking off in another direction. My brain then registered the fact Sofie was nowhere in sight.

When my eyes returned to Orlando I could see he was less than happy. He slapped me across the head. He then took hold of me and shouted in my ear. "Do you have ANY idea what you've done?"

I had no idea what he meant so all I could do was stand there and shake my head.

"You probably scared Sophie away, and if she's gone for good I'll never forgive you."

I finally got my speech back and asked, "How can you know Sofie, you weren't with us when we met her yesterday?"

I watched him draw his eyebrows together in a frown as his anger began to fade. He looked around at the interested onlookers.

"Dominic, there are some things we need to discuss and work out, but this isn't the right place. Let's get out of here. NOW!"

He didn't wait for me to respond, but turned in the direction of the door. I had to agree that the dance floor in the Borderline wasn't the place to try to put things right. I was confused. I just couldn't put everything that was happening together. How did he know Sofie? Why did he threaten never to forgive me -what was that about?

I couldn't leave without somehow letting Billy know so I turned to see if he had seen anything from the stage. He was looking in my direction which told me he had probably witnessed everything. I held up my hand to let him know I would call him, and he nodded to let me know he understood.

I turned to talk to Berlinda, but all I saw was her back as she made her way through the crowd. A few steps behind her were Kate. There was nothing else for me to do but follow in the same direction.

*~*~*

Berlinda's pov

A/N This part I've had my beta to thank for, because it is actually she who written most of this after my request. I had the confident she would do a good work and it would fit in very well.

The evening was going very well. Our table gave us a great view of the stage. The band was better than I had expected, and Billy was such a tease, going out of his way to make eye contact and then winking at me each time he did.

Glancing over at Sofie and Dominic, I could see that she seemed to be very relaxed and was enjoying both the music and the company. She looked to be in a better mood than yesterday, and wasn't fidgeting as much. I thought they looked so cute together as she leaned into him as he rested his arm across her shoulders. I wished she was able to let him into her life, if only she could come to a decision about the feelings she might still be holding for the old boyfriend she had spoken about.

I was really enjoying the music and wished it wasn't soon to end when out of the corner of my eye I noticed Dominic was getting restless. He kept turning around in his seat, not paying attention to the band.

He turned to me and said Sofie still hadn't returned to her seat. I felt a little guilty that I'd been enjoying the show, and Billy's attention, so much that I hadn't noticed she wasn't there. He had such a worried look in his eyes that when he said he was going to look for her, I immediately offered to help.

We decided to split up. Billy noticed us from the stage and looked a little worried that we may not being enjoying ourselves. I gave him a smile and mouthed, "be right back," at him. He relaxed and carried on singing.

I didn't bother looking amongst the crowd by the stage. Sofie was even worse than I was about being too close to strangers so I knew she wouldn't be there. I decided to check out the restroom, hoping she hadn't started to feel ill. I hated to think that she was alone and scared somewhere.

There were only a couple of girls in there, giggling and discussing ways of attracting the attention of the band. I left them with their dreams. I skirted the bar and spotted Dominic on the other side of the room. He didn't see me, he was staring towards the edge of the dance floor.

As I made my way towards him, I realised what he was looking at. A couple were standing there in a tight embrace, lips locked together in a sensual kiss. Funny… I didn't figure Dominic as a perve.

I glanced again at the couple just as they broke their embrace. I thought I recognised the guy from somewhere, but when he placed his finger under the girls chin to raise her face, I forgot about him. I definitely recognised her... it was Sofie!

I stood there in a daze. I felt someone looking at me and knew it was Dominic. I must have looked as shocked as he did.

There was a blonde standing behind them, sparks of anger lighting up her eyes. I didn't know who she was. I was just about to speak to Dominic when he moved.

He was so quick I couldn't get to him. He rushed towards the couple grabbing Sofie around her waist and shoving her away. He then turned towards the man and took a swing at him. The man was quick, and managed to block the punch. I then realised who he was… Orlando Bloom!

Realising who she was with made it easier for me to link all the information together that Sofie had told me. The boyfriend she couldn't really remember must be Orlando. It all made sense now why she was reluctant to talk about him. How confused and scared she must be feeling, and meeting Dominic couldn't be helping the situation. To see Sofie wrapped in the arms of Orlando must mean she had another memory flash.

To see what was taking place couldn't be easy for any one. It was also easy for everyone to make assumptions, especially as there were things that not everyone knew about the situation. I knew some of what was going on, and I was still confused.

I saw him slap Dom across the head and shout something at him, but then my attention returned to Sofie, she was running blindly through the crowd that gathered, and was heading for the exit.

I had to follow her, she was in such a state. I glanced towards the stage to See Billy watching what was going on. Our eyes met and he nodded as if to tell me to go ahead after Sofie. I blew him a kiss, knowing I would see him again, and turned to leave.

I saw that Orlando was leaving too, but stopped and turned as the blonde called his name. I gave him a look bordering in disgust as I passed him, on the way to find my friend.

*~*~*
Orlando's pov

When we got to the club, Billy and the band were already on the stage so we stood at the back and watched. The place was crowded, mostly with women. I wondered if it would have been so busy if Billy hadn't become famous as a Hobbit, or as coxswain Bonden in Master and Commander.

As always, it was fun watching him perform. It reminded me of the times we had been jamming together and I couldn't help but smile. I hoped we would be able to do that again sometime. It was sad we couldn't meet up more often.

I thought it was about time to look for Dominic and his friends. Looking round carefully at the people I saw a girl slowly walking in my general direction. At first I thought she had recognised me and would make a sound to give my present away, but she seemed to be in a world of her own and hadn't noticed me at all.

Her appearance had drawn my eyes to her. She was very beautiful. She was wearing a pair of dark trousers and a green sleeveless top. As I stared at her I realised that she was familiar. I looked at her hair and it reminded me of a style I saw yesterday. Could this really be Sophie?

She stopped at the edge of the dance floor, watching the crowd and the band. She had turned almost completely around and I saw the tattoo on her left upper arm. It was my Sophie! I thought it was wonderful that we were in the same place. I took it as a sign that the decision I'd made earlier was the right one.

For some time I stood and just looked at her, drinking in her beauty. Watching how relaxed she seemed, I wondered how it was she looked more like I remembered her looking years before. She was looking so different from yesterday. Then she had been so tense and jumpy when people did nothing more than pass her by. Nothing in her body language now showed any of that. She must really be enjoying the music to be so calm.

I slowly moved up to her. She never turned around, so I was able to stand behind her and inhale her aroma. I remembered her love of Shakespeare and that we had both watched and recited Much Ado About Nothing to each other many times. She had liked the little poem/song in it, reciting it often. The words came back to me.

Leaning forward so that I could whisper in her ear, "Sigh no more, lady sigh no more…"

After the first verse, I stopped to wait for a reaction. She just stood there. I wondered if she had forgotten it, if that had also vanished from her memory as my time with her had. I carried on to see if it would help.

"Into hey nonny, nonny…"

Seconds later her arms were around my neck and I thought I heard her say, "My love". She nuzzled into my neck and hair. I was surprised at her reaction and it took a few seconds for me to respond, drawing her into a tight embrace. I didn't want her to go as it had been such long time since I had held her like this. I'd missed her.

I couldn't stop thinking that this all felt so perfect and right. It was her that I really loved, that I'd always loved. I had to see her eyes so I kept just one arm around her, using the fingers of my free hand to lift up her chin bringing her head up and tilting back slightly. Her eyes were closed, but they opened up to see why the warmth from my body had left her as I pulled away. Our eyes locked and there was a different light in hers. Thanks to the verse she seemed to have recovered some memory of us.

I was so happy that she was remembering. I kept hold of her chin and bent to kiss her as I had wanted from the moment I had found her again. Tentative at first, but then I gave in to the passion and as her mouth opened in invitation, I deepened the kiss. Without breaking it, we embraced again.

I forget where we were and it was just her and me at that moment. It was as if I was making a promise to never let her go again.

But reality crashed down on us as she was dragged away from me at the same moment I broke the kiss to give her air. Just in time I saw the fist that was about to hit me. Thanks to previous training, I was able to duck and block the blow.

No-one was going to get away with treating my girl like that, and my look shot daggers into the person. Noticing who it was made me even more furious. Dominic! How he, of all people, would dare to treat her like this? He was skating on very thin ice.

It seemed like everyone surrounding us was holding their breath to see what would happen next. I could feel Dominic slowly relax, most likely because he realised where we were. As the treat disappeared, I relaxed my grip on his wrist. I hoped he wouldn't take that as an opportunity to strike out at me again.

I looked over to where I thought Sophie was standing, but she was gone. The anger rose up in me again. If that stupid 'Hobbit' had scared her away, I would make him suffer for the rest of his life.

Just as his eyes were back on me, I slapped him across the head. Before he had a chance to hit back, I grabbed his neck and shouted angrily in his ear, "Do you have ANY idea what you've done?"

A part of me was glad that he seemed not to know what I was talking about, and when he just shook his head I continued, "You probably scared Sophie away, and if she's gone for good I'll never forgive you."

He got his speech back and wondered how I knew her as I hadn't met her yesterday. That confused me and I wondered what he meant. There must be a few things I didn't know. Looking round and seeing the audience we had made me squirm. I neither wanted or needed any of this to get out in the press.

"Dominic, there are some things we need to discuss and work out, but this isn't the right place. Let's get out of here. NOW!"

Having said that. I turned without waiting for his response and walked away towards the door. I was sure that he would follow, and I wanted to see where Sofie had gone. If the few things she had told me yesterday were right, I thought she would probably run away. I thought I'd seen a flash of terror in her eyes before I'd had concentrate on Dominic.

I was petrified that this might get her hurt or stop her from meeting me on Sunday. I didn't want to lose her. I wasn't strong enough to cope with that a second time.

What has made Dominic act like a betrayed boyfriend? How did he know my Sophie? I then remembered him mentioning something about him meeting a girl at the Globe and asking her out. Could that be her? With her love of Shakespeare and the Globe theatre had she taken the chance to see Romeo and Juliet last night?

Hearing Kate shouting my name I remembered that I hadn't arrived alone. I waited for her. I was startled by a woman in a leather jacket giving me an accusing stare as she passed me. Who the hell was she?

*~*~*
Billy's pov

I kept looking out to see if Dominic had met up with the girls and taken them to the table we had reserved for our friends. They had certainly made an impression on us, and I thought it would be fun to get to know them again and learn a bit more about them, especially Berlinda. When I saw they had arrived, I had to go out and say hello to them.

As I watched them, I thought both girls looked beautiful, and they seemed to have the same taste in clothes. The biggest difference between them seemed to be the fact that Berlinda had many more tattoos. Sofie seemed to have one and I wasn't sure if I had seen a similar before.

When we went out on stage, I kept glancing over to the table. Both girls looked like they were enjoying our music. My eyes were drawn to Berlinda and I couldn't stop flirting with her. She had such wonderful smile. I also notice how relaxed Sofie looked, more so than the previous night. She was leaning into Dominic and he was sitting there with a very contented smile on his face.

Towards the end of our set, I noticed Dominic and Berlinda rising from their seats, and there was no sign of Sofie I began to worry about what was going on. Then I saw Berlinda smile at me and mouth, "be right back". I relaxed and managed to concentrate on the song again.

I wasn't singing on the next song we preformed, so I could keep an aye on where they might be going. I took a few steps to the side of the stage so I didn't have the spotlight glaring into my eyes blinding me, and I looked out over the crowd. There were a lot more people in the club that I thought would have come, so it wasn't so easy to keep an eye on them. Luckily, the stage was high enough for me to look out over the heads of the crowd on the dance floor area, and spot Dominic and Berlinda.

Right against the rear wall, I could see Orlando and Kate had arrived. They were late, but at least they were here. I wondered what had held them up. I thought something didn't seem quite right between them. Had they had a fight?

My gaze didn't linger on them for too long, and I soon spotted Sofie standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching us and the dancing people. I wasn't the only one to have noticed her. From my vantage point on the stage I could see Orlando walking up to stand behind her, leaning in to whisper something in her ear.

I couldn't seem to look away, and after a few more lines of our song had been played I noticed how Sofie turned around and threw her arms around his neck. Before I knew what was happening, they were locked in a deep kiss. So she did like the elf after all, but I was confused by the fact that Orlando seemed to know her, so she must be more than just a fan. Wait a moment… hadn't Orlando talked about an old girlfriend who had a tattoo, and hadn't he described something that looked just like the one Sofie had?

I couldn't stay with that thought when I saw that I wasn't the only one that had noticed them. I had a good view of how Dominic and Berlinda also witnessed the hugging and kissing. I knew this wouldn't end well.

My bad feeling was soon confirmed. When Orlando and Sofie had been standing in an embrace for a few minutes, Dominic brutally pushed her away from Orlando. From where I was standing it looked like he tried to throw a punch, but he was blocked by Orlando. Neither of them saw Sofie run away.

I let out the breath I didn't realise I was holding once I realised that they weren't going to fight. I quickly glanced at the band, who were giving me strange looks. I'd been so caught up in the drama unfolding in front of me, I'd probably missed a sound cue.

I had to see what was happening down on the main floor, and was grateful that it didn't look too serious. Orlando had a hold on Dominic and seemed to be shouting at him, then he pushed him away and headed for the door.

Some moments later, Dominic made eye contact with me and gestured that he would call me. I nodded back to him that I understood. I had seen Berlinda leave, probably trying to catch up with Sofie. I hoped that as soon as the set finished, I would be able to find out just what on earth was going on.

 

*Part 19*

Kate’s pov

A/N As this is the first time you have to follow the story from Kate, my first beta and I decided it would start ‘in the air’, so you got a little more hang of her. I know that few things got repeated from previous parts, but it would be weird to not have it here also.

I was happy that I didn’t have any problems flying, especially as after only a few days in the USA I was airborne again back to Europe. This time it wasn’t for work though. I was about to spend a well earned rest with love of my life, my handsome, sexy boyfriend. I felt so lucky that we were together, especially knowing that there are millions of girls and women all around the world who dreamt about him, if that was enough. It was crazy how the female population were so fanatical about Orlando Bloom. Most of them didn’t know the ‘real’ him and were never likely to meet him.

I was so looking forward to the coming weeks. I would finally be able to spend time with him, and not just a snatched moment during filming or other work commitments lasting only a few hours, or at best a few days. Looking back on our recent time together we had only managed a few hours during the Cannes festival, and a couple of days when I was able to visit him in Morocco on the set of Kingdom of Heaven.

The biggest disadvantage of his celebrity as I saw it, was the minimum amount of time we could spend in each others company. Compared to ‘ordinary’ people, our moments together were rare, as there were usually people around us or some event to attend. It had been little better at the beginning of our relationship, but as Orlando become more popular, it became harder not to be watched wherever we went. This made me to cherish the few times we could be alone.

To help pass the time on the flight, I began going over all that we’d been through together. What better way to relax than walk down the alley of memories? There were things I felt that I needed to go through, such as what lay ahead for us. As I analysed things, I realised there were indications of possible problems which worried me. I may need to take them up with Orlando, especially if our relationship was going to continue to work.

The first year, I think we had what all new couple have. Even though Orlando’s star was in the ascendance with his fans, we had managed to keep our relationship as much as possible away from the public gaze. This hadn’t been possible for to long, however, and the day surely arrived when we had to admit that we were together. Why would we deny it? Every couple in love should be free to show their feelings.

During the meal on the plane, I thought back to the sandwich that tasted as bad as the airline food. Or was it just the ingredients Orlando had put in the sandwich he had tried to feed me. I forget if we were at his place or mine, but wherever we were there hadn’t been a lot in the refrigerator or the cupboard. However he had managed to put together a few things, and made up a filling of ham and M&M’s. It was a real weird taste, and after the first bite and chew I refused to eat anymore unless he did also. For several minutes he refused, but as he wanted me to eat some more, he finally took a bite. He must have had something else on his mind as before he swallowed, he started to kiss me, and shoved the food into my mouth. In order not to choke, I had to swallow it. The kiss had been so much better than the sandwich, which lay forgotten on the plate, and we ended up kissing for hours. I was quite happy to do the latter many more times.

Thinking about it, he was always doing something spontaneous that made me laugh, blush, love him even more, embrace and cherish him. Once in the city, on a day when we had tried to go shopping for hours and I complained that my feet were hurting, he had started to carry me. I think someone had stopped to asked what was the matter and he had replied ‘I’m carrying my girl because her feet hurt’. Another time I had been sick, and he had gone all over the city just to find that special soup he knew I loved.

A few times he had sent me small things he thought I would like. He would always give me a present when we were able to meet up. I loved it, although I sometimes wondered what his intensions were, especially those times his attention didn’t seem to be fully with me. He hadn’t wanted to enlighten me in what was troubling him, and if I pushed for an answer, I seemed to piss him off, so I often tried to look between my fingers at those times. There was one present that I used a lot, it was a brown leather bag in which I could fit all of my day to day things, so I carried it with me everywhere.

When it came down to me and things I had done for him, I often had the feeling that everything wasn’t alright. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but they were surprises which for a short second he didn’t seem to appreciate. He seemed somehow to want to keep a distance between us. It was those times that I doubted we would ever be the perfect couple, and that was why I felt that we had a take time to talk things through.

After the plane had landed, and I had collected my suitcase and hailed a cab to take me to Orlando, I made the decision that before he started filming again I would try to get him to talk to me about why he seemed so distant. If he tried to stall or change the subject, I would have to be firm and push him to tell me everything that was on his mind, no matter what it may do to our relationship.

Even if we hadn’t been apart too many days, I was still eager to see him. He had given me the keys to the apartment, but knowing he would be there, I rang the bell. He opened the door quickly and let me in. As soon as I was inside I dropped my suitcase and threw my arms around him.

He seemed not to have expected that and was little stiff which was unusual for him, even when he was feeling pain from his back. So after my greeting I stepped back, still keeping a hold on his hand, and watched his face before I asked him what was wrong.

“It’s nothing, just tired. The filming seems to finally have taken its toll on me,” he answered, and as fast as I let him go he turned his back on me and walked away.

I picked up my suitcase and followed him, thinking he was heading back to his bedroom as he was dressed only in his trousers.

“I’ve missed you so much since Cannes. I would have rather spent time with you than going home. I spent the first day asleep through jet lag, I wish it didn’t affect me so bad. I knew that we didn’t get that much sleep in Cannes and that could also been a reason. I also have to say that travel so much easily makes it very boring, even though I do love where it takes me to. Worst thing to fly back and forth is the damn jet lag. I did say that, didn’t I? Any way it’s the truth. Even though I must say it was nice to get home to my cats and family, even if that’s not the same as us being together. You should have seen Dusty and Louise, they were so pleased to have me home that they wouldn’t let me out of their sight. The second day I was home was spent with Anne, and we went out shopping. I got home with several bags full of new clothes, a skirt, two new tops, a bikini… Are you listening to anything I’m saying?”

Orlando didn’t really look as if he was listening to me at all, and when he didn’t respond to my question, I stopped talking. Instead of speaking, I stood watched how he put on the shirt he’d taken from the closet. I loved his chest, and loved to stroke my fingers over it. I couldn’t take my eyes of him as he buttoned the shirt and tucked it into his trousers. When he picked up his necklace, I noticed a new one that he hadn’t worn in Cannes. It looked like a leather thong with a homemade charm.

“What’s that?” I asked as I pointed at it and couldn’t hold in the next question, “Is it a gift from one of your adoring fans?”

He looked down at it, shook his head and answered, “It’s from an old friend.”

As I hadn’t seen it before I continued my questioning, “Why haven’t you worn it before?”

“Because I only found it today when I was going through some old things. Did you remember that we’re going out tonight?” he asked, and I noticed the way he had changed the subject. Usually he wasn’t that quick as he seemed to love all his charms, and telling me about them.

I had remembered that we were due to go out, first to a restaurant, and then to a club to listen to Billy Boyd’s band, so in answer to his question, I nodded. Somehow I suspected that there was something more behind his behaviour. It was so like the others times when I felt his distance, although today he seemed a little different. I just couldn’t work out what the difference was. There was an atmosphere between us that I know shouldn’t be there.

“You’ll need to freshen up before we head out. I’ll wait for you in the living room, I have something to show you,” he ordered as he walked from the bedroom.

I did what he suggested and headed to the shower to wash off the travel dust, picking out my makeup bag, towel and some fresh underwear as I went past my bag. I wondered what it was he had needed to show me. He had sounded very serious… I could always hope it was what I wanted.

Maybe he was ready to take our relationship further, maybe he had decided we were right as a couple. Perhaps that was why he was so rigid and distant, because he was nervous about what I would say. I felt a little smile creep over my face. I was more than ready to take things further. I was so sure of my feelings… I really love him.

If it didn’t happen now, I had a wish that he might at least speak about it later this year. I wanted to think that we had a relationship that was as stable as we could make it considering our jobs. So far we had been through enough to make me think that it wasn’t impossible. On the plus said of our relationship was the fact that we were so spontaneous together. I believed that would help us from getting bored with each other.    

Then of course, there was the possibility that he had decided that it wouldn’t work between us, although that was something I didn’t want to think about. He was certainly one of the best things that had ever happened to me, and I didn’t want to lose him. Anyway, I knew if you really looked at the relationship there were things that weren’t too good either. I didn’t like to be so uncertain of what the future would bring for us. I also probably had to confess that I was a little jealous.

After my shower, I dried myself off and picked up a pair of black trousers and multi coloured blouse with frills. As I fixed my hair I could hear that Orlando was listening to some music. I couldn’t make out what it was from the bedroom, and didn’t recognized it either.

‘watch the clock on the wall, feel the slowing of time, hear a voice in the hall…’à I had definitely not heard him listen to this music before. As I went into the living room he seemed to be either deeply into the music or lost in thought. He usually reacted when he heard me, but he didn’t turn as I walked in. I cleared my throat to let him know I was there.

His pose changed slightly, but before he could speak the doorbell rang. He rose and started to walk to the door saying, “I thought it would be nice if there were just the two of us, so I ordered some food.”

“I thought we were eating out?” I asked, as that’s what we had talked about earlier.

“We were, but I decided to make a few changes to our plans,” Orlando paused a moment before continuing. “What I have to talk to you about is here, and I wanted to be certain we wouldn’t be disturbed.”

I stood there as he went to get the food. I went into the dining room and noticed the bouquet standing on the table. It was made up of red, white and blue carnations and looked very fresh. I loved carnations, so I had to bend and smell them.

As Orlando came back with plates and cutlery, I had to ask him, “Darling, they lovely. Did you buy them for me?”

“Yes, I did.” he replied.

I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. He was so lovely. As his hands were full he couldn’t return my hug, but answered my kiss. I devoured him for some time, but his response wasn’t as frenzied as mine, so after a little while I let him go.

The music was getting on my nerves, so I went to the CD to switch it off. I didn’t want to listen to it as we were eating.

He realised what I was about to do. “Don’t turn it off, I want to listen. You can turn it down.”

When I said that he never listened to that kind of music, he replied shortly that he did now. So if he wanted it on, I made sure that it was going to be so low that it was almost silent. I returned to the table and sat down by the plate he had set for me.

I looked in the boxes of foods and realised it wasn’t really what I felt like eating. There were a few things I had trouble swallowing, but I was so hungry I started to fill my plate.

We began eating in silence and Orlando seemed to be watching me. I wondered what he was thinking. I noticed some frown lines appear and then vanish, so he was clearly worried about something. It had to be to do with what he wanted to talk to me about and show me. Why would he want to make sure we weren’t disturbed otherwise.

I started to feel a little uncomfortable, and impatient about him not saying anything. As the minutes passed, I placed my hand over his which was laying on the table.

To break the silent I said what was on my mind, “Love, you must be really tired, you seem so far away.”

“You pointed that out already. It’s partly due to what I have to tell you.” he replied, confirming some of my thoughts.

“Are there things you have to change? Do you have to leave earlier than expected for Elizabethtown?” I enquired.

“That hasn’t been changed… it’s some other things,” he began. “Like not going to my mother on Sunday, but going on Monday instead, if you’re still up for it.” He said the last bit in little more than a whisper.

I was about to ask why, but he continued, “I have to meet someone here in London on Sunday instead. I can’t change it as the person is leaving in the evening.”

He continued with his meal and I didn’t say anything else. The high tones from the music and the clatter of cutlery were all that was heard for a long moment. What he said slowly sank in, and I somehow suspected there was more to this than he was saying, and maybe it had to do with what he wanted to talk about. “Who?’” I asked.

Instead of answering me he took his plate out into the kitchen. I wanted an answer, so I got up and followed him. When he still didn’t seem to want to speak, I asked him what had suddenly come into my mind, “It’s a girl, isn’t it?”

He didn’t seem to want to give me an answer, or was he just stalling? His behaviour really made me suspect that it was a woman, and he was acting as any other male would, being edgy. He took my hand and dragged me to the sofa, urging me to sit down. He then sat beside me.

“You’re right. I want to talk to you about a woman. I want you to sit and listen to everything I need to tell you before you decide anything. After that, it’s up to you what you want to do,” he finally said.

My suspicions confirmed, I could do noting but nod. So, would this now be the end of our relationship? I hope he took my nod as a yes that I would try to listen when he finally seemed ready to talk. Would I get the answer to some of the doubts I had?

“First I think I need to apologize to you for not mentioning anything about it earlier.” Orlando began.

My eyes went big, and I had to ask, “You mean this has been going on for a long time?” as that was what it sounded like.

“Kate, please let me say what I need to before you make assumptions.”

I pouted, thinking that was easy for him to say, then sank down into the sofa. I saw that he was watching my reactions.

“Actually it goes back about ten years. Before I start to tell you about her, you need to know why I haven’t mentioned anything about her to you before. I’ve been scared to admit to anyone what my feelings have been, even to myself. It also hinged on the fact that I thought it was doomed between her and I, which it very well might be… Oh shit, that sounds confusing, doesn’t it?”

“It does, maybe you should take it from the beginning and then explain.” I said.

He started talking. “It was in November ’94. I met a girl and we clicked instantly. It was awesome, and we were together for about four years to a time before my accident. I loved her and tried not to think about the fact that she is older than me and isn’t even from England, let alone London. We tried to make things work as well as possible. You know yourself how it has been for us two. The last year we were together, outside things around me increased, and I just didn’t manage to keep in touch.”

This was more than he’d ever told me about a previous relationship, so I sat and waited for him to continue.

“Of course, it wasn’t until she wasn’t around that I realised what my true feelings for her were. I loved her. I worried a lot when I couldn’t seem to get in touch with her. My phone calls weren’t answered, then suddenly the number no longer existed. My letters were returned as well. I might have been able to accept that she was no longer in my life, but I needed her to know what my feelings towards her were. I tried everything I could to find her again, and even if it became less and less the years went by, she is, and always has been, part of my heart.”

He couldn’t keep his feelings hidden and I could see in his face that he was really worried about this girl. A few tears even escaped to slide down his cheek. As I tried to digest what he was telling me, I really didn’t know what to do. It didn’t feel right to reach out and touch him and I stayed silent because I felt he had more to say.

Orlando seemed to collect himself a little and then continued with his story, “When I lost her I knew that she was one of the rarest women I had ever met and wanted, or thought I could spend the rest of my life with. As the time passed and I couldn’t find her I tried to meet new girls. I tried to come to terms with the fact that with every passing day, the possibility of finding her grew fainter. However, there was still a little part of me that clung to the hope that a miracle might happen. After a few years I couldn’t even talk about it for fear of opening up the wounds. That’s one reason why I’ve never told you about her.”

He seemed so lost and miserable that I moved along the sofa to get close enough to put my arm around his shoulders. Knowing that he loved to feel the warmth and contact of another person, I hoped I could make him feel a little better knowing that he wasn’t going through this alone.

“I actually thought I’d forgotten her when I met you, and I do love you. This life has shown me a lot lately and somehow I thought I would soon be ready to take a step further, to take it easier and concentrate more on us,” he said, and probably not thinking took my hand between his, absently drawing circles on it with his thumbs.

I couldn’t stay silent longer and had to ask, “There’s more to it, what happened recently?”

He nodded in reply, so I asked the next question that I thought I already knew the answer to, “You found her again?”

“The truth is that it’s really been quite a while since I’ve thought about her. The last time I tried to find her was before the Kingdom shoot. The Gods must have been of a different mind, because yesterday I ran into her… here in Soho.” he answered.

“So, she’s the friend you got the necklace from and are going to meet on Sunday?” I felt I needed confirmation of what I’d put together.

“Yes it is,” he admitted. “So in one way you’re right about it having been on going for a long time, but you don’t have to worry about me having cheated on you as I only met her again yesterday. It did start me thinking about our relationship though, and I realised that I still had deep feelings for her.”

That was something that I didn’t want to hear, but at the same time needed to. “But if you met her yesterday you still could have cheated. And what did you decided about our relationship?”

“I only met her for a few hours during the day. We went to a café, and then to H. Samuel in Oxford Street. After that I drove her to ‘The Black Friar’ as she was meeting a friend. When I’ve got it all straight in my head, you’ll be the first to know where it leaves us. You will know more by the time I finish this story.”

“Please don’t say it’s more than just friendship! What about her? What’s she been doing since you parted?” I know that I raised my voice with each word I spoke, but I couldn’t stay calm.

“Kate! I’m sitting here. I can hear you clearly enough without you needing to shout. Please try to stay calm while I tell you. You promised to listen to everything.” he said in his constantly soft voice.

“Yeah I did and I almost regret that promise, but okay spill out the last of it before you say what you think about me.” I said in a more normal pitch.

“Now you’re being unfair. It’s almost six years since I last saw her, and if I tried to go forward don’t you think that she tried to do the same? I still have to tell you her side of the story.” After saying that he rose and began pacing the floor. He glanced at his watch and then began to relate her side of the story.

“One of the reasons I hadn’t been able to find her is that she changed her name.”

It sounded so unusual the questions just come, “Changed her name. From what to what? Why did she?”

 “I don’t think the name is important. Even in life we play roles and it doesn’t matter which character you choose. The only thing that counts is the true person inside of you. The name change was one of the reasons I couldn’t find her. Why she hadn’t answered the phone or letters is that she had an accident too in 98. She told me she lost her memory and now she still hasn’t got it back fully.”

“Orlando, what do you mean?”

“She didn’t remember me, about us.”

Watching him stand there with tears streaming down his face told me just how much this girl must have meant to him, and how much her loss must have affected him. He tried to dry his face, ashamed to show his feelings for me.

Composed once more, he continue, “Most of the time we were together yesterday was spent trying to convince her that we really HAD known each other and been together. I managed to tell her a few things that only a close friend would know. She then wanted to hear of the things we did together. Thinking back I didn’t learn too much about what she’s been doing with her life lately. She said she was here in London on an assignment, then she was going to meet some friends, remember I said that’s why I drove her to the pub. Sunday is the first day that she would have free for us to meet up again. I want to find out if there is any way she can get her memory back. I will be happy if we can be friends again at least.”

“Is she good looking?” I had to hear what I was up against.

“I remembered that I had saved a lot of things in a box and I went to Canterbury and fetched it. It was there I found the necklace and those photos.” saying the last he pointed to a pile on the table.

I hadn’t noticed them earlier, so I picked them up to look through. There were quite a lot so I didn’t spend too much time on each one. There were both colour and black and white photos. The girl in most of them was totally different from me or any of the other women Orlando had been out with in the last few years.

Looking at her in the photos, I thought I could easily beat her in the looks department. She had dark hair, cut short. It looked like she wasn’t all that tall. The biggest thing against her was the fact that she was… FAT. So, in my eyes she didn’t look good at all. I wondered what on earth he ever saw in her. What was so special about her that he couldn’t forget her?

“She looks different now. She’s lost a lot of weight and her hair is long. I have to say she’s a good looking woman,” his voice brought me back from my thoughts, but did nothing to calm me.

He continued, “It all got me thinking and considering what I feel and might want.”

“And what is that?” I felt I couldn’t stay composed. “Do you think I will compete with … that.” I pointed to the photos. “Even if you say you haven’t cheated on me it FEELS LIKE IT.”

The reality hit me. I was in danger of losing him and I didn’t want to let him go. I couldn’t hold back the tears and let them flow freely. I hadn’t seen it coming. It couldn’t be true... Please, don’t let it to be true.

Orlando came towards me and tried to give me a hug, but I wasn’t ready to feel his arms around me after what he’d just told me. I couldn’t be near him, he had really hurt me. I ran to the bedroom but it didn’t help as he followed me.

“Please, Kate, I love you, but I have to confess it’s not the same love I felt for Sophie. I still want to be with you,” he said, and I thought to myself that guys really thought they could play with their girls.

When I didn’t respond to him he continued, “We have a good thing going and I don’t want to lose you. Please, it’s much better than I tell you all this now, and as I said I really regret not I having mentioned it earlier. You know that I rarely speak about any of my previous girlfriends. I like to concentrate on the moment.”

“Yeah!... and now you hope that I’ll leave… AND get the love of your life back.” He had made my blood boil, “I thought we had something really good, but it seems you are just like all the other men.” He sure needed to hear how I was feeling.

“But Kate, I don’t even know if she is single or has a boyfriend. She didn’t seem to be the girl I remember, she has changed a lot, and she seems now to hate being touched. I’m telling you about this because I really care about you, and you are a big part of my life, as Sophie was back then. I don’t want to end our relationship.”

He was incredible! Did he really think I was going to stand there and let him to compare me to this girl from his past he couldn’t seem to forget? He seemed to be carrying the same weak gene that most men seemed to have, that of wanting to have their cake and eat it too. He hadn’t been able to forget this moment from his past, even when we’d been together, and I was certain that if the opportunity arose, he wouldn’t hesitate to leave me. So why would I want to stay with him?

“Words, words, words! Stop it, Orlando. As soon as you find out if she is still single, you’ll dump me to go back to her. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the sparkle in you eyes when you talk about her! This isn’t the first time I’ve felt there’s something wrong between us. I was just hoping my mind was playing tricks on me.”

“Fuck… what should I do? Please, Kate… you’re right… I’ve hurt you so badly, and forcing you to stay wouldn’t make things better, and I would always feel so guilty. But I don’t want to lose you… you’re too precious to me for that.”

I snorted. Would I want to have anything more to do with him? Watching as he sank down onto his bed sobbing, made me wonder if I was too harsh on him. I left him alone. I needed some time to clear my head and sort out my feelings. I didn’t feel I could be in the same room with him right now, and headed back to the living room to sit on the sofa.

The first thing I did was turn the awful music off. What shit was he listening to anyway? Picking up the CD case, I saw it was a band called Depeche Mode. I’d never heard of them. Maybe they were a band that this woman liked. I tuned in the radio to a music channel I liked instead.

I went to the couch and sat down. The first ten to fifteen minutes I just leaned back, eyes closed, and went through everything Orlando had told me. There had been several times since I’d met him that I’d felt his mind, and maybe his heart, were focusing on something, or someone, rather than me. Mostly it had been small things, but adding them all together gave me the feeling that something wasn’t quite as it should be. It must have been something to do with this woman, and all the time I was thinking I had imagined it. Maybe I should start to listen to my inner feelings a bit more.

More than once I had wondered if our relationship was right. I had worried about our age difference being too great. I knew we had different experiences, but we also had several interests in common. I had asked myself before now if that was enough. An added problem was the fact that our work tended to keep us apart a great deal of the time.

Watching him tell me about her, and seeing his eyes shine with the memories of her made me realize that I hadn’t seen the same glow when he was with me.

What did I want to do?  The best thing would probably be to walk away. Then I had seen the guilt and pleading in his eyes when he told me he knew he had hurt me, and that I was still precious to him. Could I find it in my heart to even stay a friend to him?

My heart was breaking because I still loved him. I couldn’t believe that I was going to lose him. If our relationship was going to end, I had always thought it would have been caused by pressure of work, journalists, or the total rubbish that always spread through the tabloids. All that had already taken a toll on us. Some had been good, but always being labelled as ‘Orlando Bloom’s girlfriend’ instead of who I was in my own right was something I didn’t want in the long run.

I felt I needed more time to decide what my ultimate decision would be. I wasn’t sure yet if I wanted to cut every bond with him.

Looking down at the table, I saw the pile of photos he had shown me. I hadn’t paid much attention to them at the time, but now I wanted to see what she might have that I didn’t.

Most of them showed a girl with short brown hair. She looked to be about the same height as me. Comparing to a few other girls Orlando has dated in the past, and to me, she was fat. Not at all like his usual ‘type’. In the colour photo she looked pale. She didn’t seem to smile a lot either.

I couldn’t see anything special about her. She looked very average, but I had to admit that Orlando had taken some very good shots of her. I wondered what she looked like now. What had he said… that she lost some of her weight and let her hair grow… maybe she was looking good now.

Suddenly Orlando spoke from behind me, making me jump. I hadn’t heard him come in. I turned round to face him, surprised at how close he was standing.

Remembering the last thing he had said in the bedroom, I answered him, “I would love to, and no matter how hurt I am right now, I want to try and stay friends with you. I think I’m glad you told me.” It was the truth, and I thought that I would manage to survive, at least I wanted to believe I could.

He quickly closed the space remaining between us and hugged me close. He seemed to desperately need the physical touch, so I didn’t push him away, even though I wasn’t as comfortable in his embrace as I used to be. My feelings were so ambiguous. Being close to him seemed to weaken my resolve to be strong about this. I couldn’t cut off my feeling towards him in an instant, and would probably never stop loving him.

After a while he released me from his hold and I went to pick up my jacket. He turned of the stereo, picked up his jacket, and locked the door behind us when we left.

He started walking down the street, and seeing my questioning look he said, “We need to catch a cab in the next street, I thought it would be quicker than calling for one.”

Orlando was right, we didn’t have to wait too long before he managed to hail one. We sat on opposite ends of the seat and he didn’t speak. It felt awkward. His usual high spirits seemed to have fled, I was seeing a new side to him. Maybe it was his way of allowing me to make the first step, if I wanted to.

I tentatively stretched out my hand to take his. Finding it, I squeezed to let him know I was okay. He squeezed mine back, but didn’t look at me.

As we got out and he paid the fare, he asked me if it was okay if when we got inside we pretended that everything was okay between us.

“Of course, darling.”

I hugged him, and for the sake of the onlookers I kissed him near the mouth. He answered me, but the warmth was missing.

Although we were late arriving, there were still a lot of people waiting to get into the club. We walked passed, and after Orlando had spoken to the doorman, he checked to find our name on the special guest list, then let us in. The crowd was thick in there and the show had already begun.

We stood in the back, which I was happy for and I hoped it would take a while before anyone realised who he was. Looking around the audience, I noticed it was mostly made up of women, so it probably wouldn’t take too long before they came swarming round him. I should be happy with the anonymity for as long as it lasted.

He had told me we were meeting up with Dominic and his friends there, but it wouldn’t be easy to spot them in the crowd. Orlando didn’t look like he was too eager to push his way through everyone to find them, probably because he realised that would get him recognised all the sooner.

For a moment I considered making my way to the bar, but something held me back. I had noticed not long after we arrived that Orlando was staring at a woman. I wondered why she had caught his eye. She was wearing dark trousers, a green top, and her hair was loose down to middle of her back. I think I noticed some plaits in it.

He seemed totally taken with her, and our agreement to act like a couple was lost on him. My eyes were draw to her too, if only to find out why he was so enchanting by her.

When she turned, part of her left arm was visible and I could see she was wearing a tattoo. Right on queue, Orlando began to walk towards to her. He stopped behind her and leaned over to speak in her ear. I thought he was hopeless, even after our earlier talk, he still couldn’t stop flirting. Had he forgotten how he had poured his heart out to me over his long lost love with the idea of getting me to end our relationship?

I wasn’t surprised when a moment later she turned and threw her arms around his neck, but the quick glimpse of her face startled me. There was something very familiar about her… I had seen her recently. Could this be the face from the photographs? The woman he had told me about?

Taking a few steps towards them, I considered breaking them apart.

Seeing her little clearer when he raised her chin told me I was right. It was the girl from the photos. It was his long lost love. He was right about one thing, she was no longer the overweight girl from his past. She was slim and looked damned hot! There was no chance of me keeping him now.

It was no fun watching them tightly entwined and kissing passionately. He had been all mine for the past two years, and now she was coming between us. I felt malicious pleasure when I saw Dominic stride over and push them apart. Sadly his fist didn’t make contact with Orlando. I felt that I wanted to punch him too.

The womans cowardice made my heart smile even more. ‘Yes run away!’

I could see Orlando getting angry as he slapped Dominic across the head and grab hold of him. I so wanted to hear what was being said between them. The next thing I knew, Orlando was walking off in the direction of the exit. Had he just forgotten me, or didn’t he care anything about me anymore?

“Orlando wait!”

He must have heard me because he stopped and waited for me to catch up with him. Just as I got to his side, a woman in a leather jacket passed us. She just glared in annoyance at him. What gave her the right? She seemed as pissed off as I was. But who was she?

I was hoping for an explanation of his behaviour from Orlando. If he wasn’t prepared to give it then I wasn’t prepared to stand around and wait. I didn’t want a boyfriend who gave less than his total attention. Better to call it quits before he hurt me even more. I wanted to have been told about the girl from the beginning.

As soon as he knew I could hear him, he confirmed that the woman was the girl from his past. He didn’t seem to understand Dominic’s behaviour, and he needed to find out what was going on. He continued by saying that as I had the key to his apartment, I could either stay at the club, or go home. Then he pushed me right over the edge.

He was gone before I could get over his callous statement. How could he expect me to go back to his place, knowing that he was following the girl he wanted to dump me for? I was so stunned that I could only watch him disappear. I just wanted to cry, but not in public. 

I stood there taking deep breaths. I slowly calmed down enough to leave the club. I was lucky enough to hail a taxi right away. Sitting in the car I decided to go back to Orlando’s, but I asked the driver to wait while I collected my suitcase. There was no way I could stay there now.

I was glad that I hadn’t unpacked much, so it took no time at all to gather my belongings. Just as I was about to leave, I decided to leave him a note.